OK. I don't know who all here has had credit cards recently. We know in this bank bailout era that the banks are getting huge chunks of $$$. (No, I DON'T want this to become a political bashfest, PLEASE-TYVM!) However, they now see fit to start changing their business practices around and stuff. Translation: we jerk your rate up to 25% APR; you can object and keep it low, however, you must not use the card anymore after such and such date and blah-blah-blah.

I've been thinking...I have never been late with my accounts wth these people. I have not even charged 1/3 of my total credit line--EVER. I talk with them on the phone. They don't care "we're keeping this as is and that's that".

So basically customer loyalty and performance doesn't matter to them. Good business records don't matter? What the ****?!

I depend on it for things like unforseen large bills, occasional maintenance and upkeep on my car I myself cannot do. (more like major services and repairs) Or much more like emergencies (general, medical, etc.), or tuition. How I'll survive is my problem. However, I see this is happening all around. I guess this hurt is gonna hafta be a part of our lives now. Mine. Yours. EVERYONE. So the ability to live even HALF comfortably is now COMPLETELY flushed down the toilet.

However, I'm just curious how many of those are fellow LF'ers out there, going through something similar. I guess this is an invitation to vent and bitch about how the banks are hell of screwing us over. What are your stories? Are you or is someone you know facing this kind of C.R.A.P.???

Mine is I'm just some dude. Working, figuring out what I want to do in life, the usual. Only some discretionary spending. Occasionally a little event here or there. I don't vacation much if/when I do get breaks. I live a rather clean life too (makes up for my partying childhood)--NO I'm not religious.

I guess this means it doesn't matter if you've been good. You're gonna pay dearly, now.

We'll murder them all, amid laughter and merriment...except for the few we take home to experiment!

Honestly, it makes little sense. The bank bailouts were for the banks to start lending money again... but then they go and raise interest rates on the ones currently paying their bills, don't give out loans to anybody with less than perfect credit, and even then have high interest rates... ugh....

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." Thomas Jefferson

Honestly, it makes little sense. The bank bailouts were for the banks to start lending money again... but then they go and raise interest rates on the ones currently paying their bills, don't give out loans to anybody with less than perfect credit, and even then have high interest rates... ugh....

Suddenly makes it quite obvious why they crashed in the first place, huh?

Pffff I don't even have a credit card anymore. I canceled and shredded my cards when they raised my rates. And I paid off my balances within 90 days(so the rates really wouldn't affect me that much). It just ticked me off that the bank would do that to someone that was paying the bills on time.

What I do is I have a savings account with two month's salary saved up(at a minimum). I know it seems hard, but honestly, you have to put some money away each pay day. Think about every place you can cut corners. That way when you need the extra cash you have it. It's rough on you at first, but when you look and say, "Do I really need <new shiney>?" more often than not, the answer is no. Do I really watch the premium channels? Maybe I can cancel those for a few months. Wait until they have something on that I want to watch.

Buy things on sale. I know it sounds like a no brainer, but it's actually more difficult than most people think. Sometimes you have to visit several different stores to get everything you like. One store may have one thing you like on sale, and another has something else you like on sale. That's where the supermarkets get you. You come for the bargain on one thing, but end up spending more because the other items you want are priced higher than elsewhere. The only thing I don't skimp on is meats. Some places have good meat for a decent price, while others have really bad meats at sale prices.

Now really is the time to start being a penny pincher. Especially when you aren't sure when the economy will recover.

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." Thomas Jefferson

Sometimes large business purchases are necessary, though. Tools for construction--not provided for you. Also supplies for housekeeping. Maybe most of you don't do that kind of work. Sometimes several hundred to spend is necessary to keep work-life flowing. It compensates/pays for itself over short periods of time. This is kind of how business works.

@ my own thread: Funny how "always in motion the force is"... A solution has presented itself: Roll it over into a lower interest acct. Only happens w/ good credit. Which I believe RS above was implying, no? Certainly the only way to keep a good score in any case.

Anybody rely upon what I am referring to above, though?

How to survive in the real world? Many a book has been written there. It is largely subjective and relative to one's life experiences, no? I suppose we could go in generalization.

I guess what I'm getting at is the ridiculousness of it all. Does nobody have a BS with banks gripe?

We'll murder them all, amid laughter and merriment...except for the few we take home to experiment!

We have no more credit cards either. We have a savings account set aside for the money I make at one of my jobs--mostly for taxes, but it serves as an emergency fund as well (like when we had to buy a new vehicle last summer when an uninsured driver ran a stop sign right in front of us). We repaid the fund and added extra to it to build up more of a reserve for that kind of emergency. I refuse to pay the credit sharks any more interest.

From MST3K's spoof of "Hercules Unchained"--heard as Roman medic soldiers carry off an unconscious Greek Hercules on a 1950's Army green canvas stretcher: "Hi, we're IX-I-I. Did somebody dial IX-I-I?"

Ironically that's what I was doing. Unfortunately it has had to be emptied out for this debacle. But true, I always do keep an emergency stash just in case. Funny how my homies drinking gold schlagger don't understand why I come out of things half a "okay" as I do when all their savings is being drank away and leaving nothing but a hangover.

Hey, that driver didn't happen to be an illegal alien now did it?

I guess I'm playing the clerical trickster game w.r.t. credit card ratings and rollover. Don't like it but it's either this or the alternatives. There are smart legal ways to do things if you keep your head on straight and read between the lines.

I do listen to Clark Howard, and that Bob fella on 'Money Talk'. Lots of neat financial advice.

I've had the luxury of knowing rich people who have been successful. They have imparted jewels to me:

A neat little trick I have noticed from experience works well for upping your credit score (assuming you do keep your critical info on your accounts SAFELY locked away), pay the accounts off (possibly suspend them), but don't close them. See that way you still have a large "potential" credit line even if you don't use it. Watch them like a hawk, also. (Locking file cabinets anyone?)

Never have more than 1/3 of your total credit used up at any one time.

Keep the accounts from going away by occasionally buying a burger and then paying it right off the next billing cycle. Keep it around and the credit line available but unused. Looks really good at a glance for those who check your credit scores! hint hint

You bought your car and your house with cash? Damn, I wish I had your kind of income.

We bought our house with a VA loan--that's the only loan we have now. Our car was paid off about a year ago. Our van we bought used with the money we had. It meant buying an older van, but it runs well and we have no payments at all. The money we're not spending on payments is going into a fund to purchase the next vehicle since the car has 150k miles on it. However, it's a Honda, so it could easily last another 100k miles before needing to be replaced.

From MST3K's spoof of "Hercules Unchained"--heard as Roman medic soldiers carry off an unconscious Greek Hercules on a 1950's Army green canvas stretcher: "Hi, we're IX-I-I. Did somebody dial IX-I-I?"